How much does exit & re-entry visas cost in the GCC? 2026 fees
The permits, clearances and absence rules that decide whether a resident can leave a GCC state and return without losing residence.
Indicative fees, renewal cycles and the issuing authority for all six Gulf states, plus an honest view of whether this is worth filing yourself.
Exit & Re-Entry Visas fees across the six GCC states
| Country | Known locally as | Issuing authority | Indicative fee | Renewal cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 United Arab Emirates | No exit permit; six-month absence cap | ICP and GDRFA | Free for residents; AED 600 tourist 30-day extension | Residence cancelled after 180 consecutive days outside |
 Saudi Arabia | Khurooj wa Awda (single, multi, final exit) | Jawazat via Absher and Musaned | SAR 200 first 2 months + SAR 100 per added month; multi-exit higher | Per trip; multi-exit 6 or 12 months |
 Qatar | Exit permit (only restricted categories) and final exit | MOI Qatar via Metrash 2 | Free; sponsor flag possible for senior or domestic staff | Residence cancelled after 6 months outside |
 Bahrain | Free movement; travel-ban check on bahrain.bh | NPRA and LMRA | Free; court fees apply to lift a ban | Standard travel; flexi-permit absence rules apply |
 Oman | Free movement; six-month absence cancellation | Royal Oman Police (ROP) | Free for residents; OMR 20 to 50 visit visa | Residence cancelled after 6 months outside |
 Kuwait | Travel permission (domestic workers and select categories) | MOI Kuwait via Sahel; PACI for Civil ID | Varies by category; KD 10 residence renewal before travel | Per trip for sensitive categories; 6-month absence cap |
Compare the fee and the renewal cycle together
A headline fee on its own is misleading. A lower fee renewed every year can cost more across three years than a higher fee renewed every three. Both columns matter.
What you are paying for
Exit and re-entry rules sit at the intersection of immigration, labour and security law in the Gulf. They decide three things: whether a resident needs an explicit permit to leave the country, whether the residence will survive a stretch abroad, and whether anything (a fine, a labour case, a court order, a sponsor block) is silently waiting at the airport to stop the trip. The mechanics differ sharply between the six states, and a process that is routine in Dubai can be a hard stop in Riyadh or Kuwait City. Understanding which document, which portal and which clearance applies in each country is the difference between a calm departure and a cancelled flight.
Saudi Arabia runs the strictest regime. Iqama holders need a Khurooj wa Awda (exit and re-entry) visa issued through Absher Individuals or Absher Business, with the sponsor or employer initiating most worker requests. Domestic workers go through Musaned. The single-trip permit costs SAR 200 for the first two months and SAR 100 for each additional month, while multi-exit permits stack the same per-month logic over a longer validity. Final exit visas (Khurooj Nihai) are a separate transaction that cancels the Iqama on departure. Kuwait keeps a parallel system for domestic workers and some categories through Sahel and the MOI portal, where the sponsor must explicitly authorise travel. Qatar abolished the general exit-permit requirement for most private-sector workers in 2018 and extended the reform in 2020, but employers can still flag up to a small percentage of senior staff as exit-permit-required, and domestic workers remain inside the old regime; the Metrash 2 app and the MOI Qatar portal handle every case. The UAE, Bahrain and Oman do not require a routine exit permit at all: ICP and GDRFA, NPRA on bahrain.bh and the Royal Oman Police instead manage absence ceilings and travel bans through the back end.
Eligibility hinges on three layers. Layer one is the residence itself: an Iqama, Emirates ID, QID, CPR or Omani residence card must be valid on the day of travel. Layer two is the sponsor relationship: in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait the kafeel must approve the exit electronically, and a refusal blocks Absher or Sahel before any fee is paid. Layer three is the clean-record check: traffic fines, labour court cases, bounced cheques, civil judgments and security alerts all surface at the immigration counter even when the portal showed green. Final exit, single exit and multiple exit each have their own conditions, and dependants follow the head of family unless they hold an independent residence.
Should you file it yourself, use a typing centre, or use a desk?
We run a paperwork desk, so treat this as coming from an interested party. It still contains the case for not paying us, because for a clean, simple filing that is the right answer.
Do it yourself
- Cost
- Government fee only
- Time
- Your own hours, plus any counter visit
- Best for
- Straightforward cases where every document is valid and the transaction is available in an app or portal.
- Watch out for
- A rejected submission costs you the resubmission and the wait, and the reason is often not explained.
Typing centre
- Cost
- Government fee plus a service fee per transaction
- Time
- One visit, usually same day if documents are complete
- Best for
- Transactions that still need a correctly formatted submission or original document sighting.
- Watch out for
- Service fees vary widely between centres and are rarely quoted separately from the government fee.
A desk like ours
- Cost
- Fixed fee quoted before we start, plus government fees at cost
- Time
- You send documents once and we handle the sequence
- Best for
- Cases already rejected once, sequences spanning several authorities, or deadlines where the fine exceeds the fee.
- Watch out for
- Not worth paying for a clean, simple filing you could complete in an app in ten minutes.
Decided you want it handled?
We file exit & re-entry visas in all six GCC states
Fixed fee quoted before we start, government fees shown separately at cost. Tell us the country and where you are stuck.
Work out your own number
Indicative fees only take you so far. These calculators run your actual dates, salary and case against the published rates.
What the process looks like
- 1Confirm residence validityCheck the Iqama, Emirates ID, QID, CPR or Omani card expiry on Absher, ICP, Metrash, bahrain.bh, ROP or Sahel before any other step.
- 2Sweep fines and bansRun a clearance check on traffic, labour and civil registers; clear any outstanding amounts through SADAD, Dubai Pay, Ashghal, GDT, ROP or Kuwait Pay.
- 3Get sponsor approval where requiredSaudi Arabia and Kuwait require the kafeel to authorise the exit on Absher Business or Sahel; domestic workers go through Musaned or Sahel.
- 4File the exit applicationSubmit Khurooj wa Awda on Absher, the Metrash exit permit (if flagged) or the Sahel travel permission; pay the fee via SADAD or KNET.
- 5Verify dependants and absence clocksConfirm each dependant residence is valid and that no family member will cross the six-month absence cap during the trip.
- 6Travel within the permit windowRe-enter before the exit and re-entry visa expires; for permit-free states, return before the absence cap triggers cancellation.
Traps that differ between countries
- Saudi Arabia: every single-trip Khurooj wa Awda needs the sponsor to file or authorise on Absher Business or Qiwa; the worker cannot self-issue.
- Saudi Arabia: missing the validity by even one day triggers an overstay charge of SAR 100 per day and risks deportation on return.
- Qatar: the 2018 reform abolished exit permits for most private-sector workers, but employers can still flag a small percentage of senior staff and domestic workers remain inside the old regime.
- UAE: there is no exit permit, but staying outside for 180 consecutive days cancels the residence on both ICP and GDRFA without warning.
- Oman: the six-month absence rule is enforced through ROP Estimarah; the residence is voided automatically, and re-entry requires a fresh employment visa.
- Kuwait: the sponsor can block an exit or refuse to authorise travel for a domestic worker on Sahel; the dispute must go through the Domestic Labour Department.
Who has to pay this
- Saudi Iqama holders planning any trip outside the Kingdom
- Domestic workers in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait whose sponsors must authorise travel
- Qatari residents in senior or domestic-worker categories still flagged for exit permits
- UAE, Qatari, Bahraini and Omani residents about to cross the six-month absence threshold
- Final-exit candidates ending employment and closing residency
- Tourists on UAE, Omani or Bahraini visas who need a single in-country extension
What pushes the cost above the headline fee
- Booking a flight before the sponsor has actually filed the Khurooj wa Awda on Absher Business
- Assuming a Saudi multi-exit permit covers any number of trips when in fact it expires on a fixed date
- Treating a Qatari residence as exit-permit-free when the employer has flagged the worker as restricted on Metrash
- Letting a UAE residence pass 180 days outside the country because the absence counter is silent on the app
- Missing an Omani six-month cancellation because ROP Estimarah was never checked from abroad
- Refusing to clear a small traffic fine and being stopped at boarding despite a valid exit permit
Exit & Re-Entry Visas by country
United Arab EmiratesNo exit permit; six-month absence capSaudi ArabiaKhurooj wa Awda (single, multi, final exit)QatarExit permit (only restricted categories) and final exitBahrainFree movement; travel-ban check on bahrain.bhOmanFree movement; six-month absence cancellationKuwaitTravel permission (domestic workers and select categories)Costs you will hit at the same time
Guides that go deeper
Frequently asked questions
It varies substantially by country because each state sets its own schedule. United Arab Emirates: Free for residents; AED 600 tourist 30-day extension. Saudi Arabia: SAR 200 first 2 months + SAR 100 per added month; multi-exit higher. Qatar: Free; sponsor flag possible for senior or domestic staff. The table on this page lists all six. Treat every figure as indicative and confirm with the issuing authority before paying, since fees change.
Not always, and we would rather say so. If your documents are valid and the transaction is available in an app, file it yourself. Paying a service fee makes sense when a submission has already been rejected without explanation, when several authorities are involved in sequence, or when a deadline fine would exceed the fee.
Comparing headline fees alone is misleading, because renewal cycles differ between states. A lower fee renewed annually can cost more over three years than a higher fee renewed every three. Compare the fee and the renewal cycle together, both of which are in the table on this page.
Because the government fee is only one line. Typing or service centre fees, urgent processing surcharges, delivery, medical tests, insurance and translation are charged separately, and providers bundle them differently. Ask for the government fee and the service fee split out before agreeing to anything.
They are indicative planning figures drawn from the issuing authorities and consistent public sources, and they are dated. Government fees change without much notice and free zone schedules are set independently. Always confirm the current amount with the issuing authority before you pay.
The standard single-trip Khurooj wa Awda costs SAR 200 for the first two months and SAR 100 for each additional month, paid through SADAD after the sponsor files on Absher Business or Qiwa. A six-month multi-exit visa stacks the same per-month logic, and a 12-month version costs more again. Premium Residency holders are exempt. Final exit visas are issued separately and cancel the Iqama on departure. Late return adds an overstay fine of SAR 100 per day and can block future entry until cleared.
Only if the sponsor specifically requests a multi-exit permit on Absher Business. A single-trip Khurooj wa Awda is consumed on the first re-entry, even if its calendar validity has weeks left. The multi-exit version allows any number of trips inside the validity window (typically six or twelve months), but each leg still has to land back inside the Kingdom before the expiry date. Plan the longest trip you might take, not the average one, when picking the duration; the per-month uplift is cheaper than reissuing.
In Saudi Arabia and Kuwait the sponsor's electronic approval is the trigger for the whole process, so a refusal stops Absher or Sahel before any fee is paid. The worker's options are to escalate through the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in Saudi Arabia (Friendly Settlement first, then the Labour Court) or through the Public Authority for Manpower and the Domestic Labour Department in Kuwait. Wage arrears, contract breaches or unjustified retention are valid grounds. Domestic workers in both countries have dedicated dispute channels under Musaned and Sahel.
Legally, no. The exit and re-entry visa keeps the Iqama or Kuwaiti residence alive on the assumption that you remain the same sponsor's worker. Taking up paid employment elsewhere during the gap does not break Saudi or Kuwaiti law on its own, but it can clash with the originating contract and, if discovered on return, lead to disciplinary or visa consequences. Short professional engagements abroad are common in practice; full secondary employment should wait for a formal transfer of sponsorship or a final exit.
Want exit & re-entry visas handled without the counter?
We quote a fixed fee before we start, with government fees shown separately at cost. If your case is simple enough to do yourself, we will tell you that instead.